A protester who scaled the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) and caused widespread disruption has been convicted of causing public nuisance.

At 7.20am on 8 March 2025, Daniel Day, 30, climbed over railings outside the Houses of Parliament and began to scale the Elizabeth Tower.

He ascended to a significant height before stopping on a ledge, where he remained for approximately 15 hours.

Despite being aware of the disruption unfolding below as emergency services gathered and roads were closed to get Day down, he repeatedly refused requests from the police to come down and became verbally abusive to officers.

Day’s actions caused major disruption to the area as the Metropolitan Police Service were forced to implement extensive safety measures, including closing several of the streets around the Palace of Westminster which prevented several local businesses from being able to operate as normal.

It is estimated the emergency response to the incident cost the taxpayer approximately £67,000.

Shortly after midnight, Day agreed to descend from the tower using specialist equipment provided by the London Fire Brigade and was arrested upon reaching the ground.

Following a trial at Southwark Crown Court, he was found guilty of causing public nuisance.

He will be sentenced at a later date.

Claire Campbell of the Crown Prosecution Service said: “Day’s actions caused prolonged and entirely avoidable disruption in Westminster, putting himself and others at significant risk of harm which affected thousands of people, local businesses and the emergency services.

“By remaining on the tower for over 15 hours and refusing repeated requests from emergency services to come down safely meant they were unable to use these resources to attend to others in need.

“I hope today’s verdict shows that while peaceful protest is a fundamental right, this right does not extend to actions that break the law, endanger others and cause serious public disruption.”